MOOSE JAW — The Wakamow Valley Authority started a new holiday season fundraiser last year, the Wakamow Valley of Lights, which turned out to be a huge success for the non-profit conservation.
The spectacle begins on the evening of Dec. 1 and will be available to the public until January 7, 2023. Viewers are asked to donate $10 per passenger vehicle, expected to make up the majority of visitors.
All funds raised go to support the upkeep and operations of the park’s 500 acres of recreational and natural spaces.
Over 10,000 people came to see the inaugural ‘Winter Wonderland’ Christmas light show last December, which featured over 100,000 LED lights in a drive-thru format. The $10 donation at the gate entitled families to drive around the lighted loop as many times as they wanted.
The Wakamow Valley Authority (WVA) is asking that limousines donate $50 for admission, and that limos and paratransit buses call to book with the WVA beforehand. Paratransit buses are asked to donate $5 per person.
On wagon ride nights, scheduled for Dec. 9 and 24., families are asked to give $20 each.
Sponsors for the event are welcome and may contact WVA General Manager Donna MacQuarrie-Bye at 306-692-2717 to learn more about partnerships and sponsorship opportunities.
Additions this year include Henry the Moose, a 17-foot Christmas light moose that was unveiled and featured in the 2022 Grey Cup Festival in Regina.
A walk-through night on Dec. 11 will feature Queen Elsa, and a walk-through on Dec. 18 will feature jolly St. Nicholas the Christmas Elf himself.
On Dec. 15, the Moose Jaw Community Choir will once again make an appearance to add Christmas carol serenades to the magical winter wonderland atmosphere of the Valley of Lights.
The objective of the attraction, MacQuarrie-Bye explained, is not only to create a Christmas event for the City of Moose Jaw, but to establish a steadily growing tourist attraction for the region. The WVA hopes that each year will see progressively more visitors from a progressively wider area of Saskatchewan — and possibly even from beyond the province’s borders.
“We would like to thank everyone who came out last year,” said MacQuarrie-Bye, “and we hope to see you again this year!”
